Beet-harvester.



E. A. HOLLENBEGK & E. W. REED.

' BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1908.

924,905. Patented June 15, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

ELIJAH A. HOLLENYBECK, OF FUNK, Ann EUGENEW. REED, 0F noLDREsE, NEBRASKA.

BaE'r-nnavns'na. Y

No. 924,905. a

Patented June 15, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELIJAH A. HoLLEN- BECK and EUGENE W. REED,citizens ofthev United States of America, and residents of Funk and Holdrege, respectively, in the county of Phelps and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Harvesters, of which the ollowing is a specification. a

This invention relates to new and useful im rovements in beet harvesters and has relation more particularly to that class wherein the beets are to ped.

It is an object o the invention to provide in a device of this character novel means for elevating the beets after they have been loosened within the soil.

It is also an object of the invention to provideincombination with the elevator or con.

veyer, a novel cutting or top ing mechanism, said mechanism being mova le with relation to the elevator.

It is also an object ofthe invention to provide in combination with a device of this character, means for cutting a portion of the tops before the beets are contacted with by the plows and the invention also has for an object to provide novel means acting in conjunction with the plow for guiding the beets after; being loosened toward the elevator or .conveyer.

It is also an ob]ect of the invention to provide in a novel device of this character, a plurality of plows for looseni the beets within the sod, it being also an o ject of the invention to provide means whereby the plows areheld against undue movement one with relation to the other.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to produce a novel device of the character noted, which will be sim 1c in construction, efficient in practice, an comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

. ith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accom anying drawin s forming part of thisspec' ication wherein ike characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in which Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of the device; Fig. 2, is a fragmentary view in top plan with parts omitted; Fig. 3,'is a view tion of the invention; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, are viewsT'illustrating various details of the invention. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the bars for the conve er. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed view of t e slotted and jslidable thimble connection between the cutter shaft and the sprin plate. In the drawings 1, enotes the frame of suitable configuration supported adjacent its rear by the axle 2, supportedby the wheels 3. The front of the frame is supported bythe small side wheels 4, which are so positioned as to be free of the mechanism to be hereinafter referred to.

a draft mechanism, the details of which form no part ofthe present invention. It may be also well to observe that for the proper operation of the device it is necessary that the wheels 3, rotate the axle 2, only when moved in one direction. This is effected by the well known ratchet construction. It may be further stated that this ratchet arrangement also facilitates the turnin of the machine.

spending from the sides of the frame, adjacent the forward end thereof are brackets 5, to which are pivoted the beams 6, said beams being positioned within the frame. To each .of the beams 6, is secured the plow 7, which plows extend one toward the other and terminate in close proximity. The space between the plows is to prevent the plows from cutting the root or beet when it is being loosened Within the soil. To keep the plows from spreading one with relation to The front portion of the machine is also ,provided with partly in rear elevation and partly in secthe other, they are connected by the yoke 7.

' Carried by the plows adjacent the points and projecting upwardly therefrom on an incline are the spaced rods 8. These rods 8, are intended to guide the beets after being loosened by the plows to the conveyer to be hereinafter referred to.

The plows 7, are raised and lowered through the medium of the lever 9, and the connections 10, carried thereby, and engaging the beam 6.

ivotally mounted on the axle 2, arethe supports 11, which support the bars 12, of the conveyer. These bars 12, are suitably spaced and are supported at theirforward ends b the flexible connections 13, en aging a s aft 14. This shaft 14, is rotate by .the lever 15. By means of this rotating shaft and flexible connections, the bars may be readily adjusted as is thought to be apparent. It may be stated that the shaft 14,

is mounted in brackets 16, carried by the It is also to this shaft that the wardly after they have been loosened by the lows. This grippin of the tops of the eets is eatly facilitated by the relation of the ca les to each other, said gripping of the plants being obtained by what may be termed crimping. These cables may be caused to travel in any desired manner, but in the drawings the upper pulleys 20, of the double cables are mounted on the shaft 21, which is provided with the sprocket wheel 22. Around this sprocket wheel 22, passes the chain 23. This chain in turn engages a secondsprocket wheel 24, mounted on a shaft 25. The shaft 25, is provided with a beveled gear 26, meshing with a large beveled gear'27, fixed to the axle 2, more particularly shown in Fig. 3.

The members 12, terminate at their lower ends in front of the plows and the cables carried thereby will grip the beet tops before the plow has loosened the beets within the soil. In order to insure the proper gripping of the tops, the lower ends of the members are provided with flared wings 28, of any suitable construction but preferably of wire as shown in the drawings.

As it is not necessary that the entire tops of the beet plants be elevated, the rotary cutters 29,, are positioned one at each side of the bars 12, slightly in advance thereof and .are intended to cut away the sides of the beet tops. These cutters 29, are disk cutters and contact with the ound and it is this contact which causes t eir rotation.

Adjacent the rear of the conveyor and positioned therebeneath .is a rotar cutter 34, which severs the beet tops. This cutter is mounted on the shaft 35, carried by the outer face of one of the bars 12. The shaft 35, extends through the s ring plate 36, and the lower end of said sha t 35, is preferably angular in cross section. The cutter 34, is

integral with or attached to the thimble A,

and the thimble is rotatable in a slot B, formed in the spring plate 36. The thimble may be splined' on the shaft 35, so that it will rotate with the said shaft, but it has been found in practice that a shaft which is angular in cross section adapted to enter a correspondingly formed aperture in the thimble will produce the desired result, that is, it will permit the thimble to move lon 'tudmally of the shaft 35, as the spring 36, is acted on by the beets. The spring plate 3, has lts forward portion inclmed. Should a beet plant be gras ed by the conveyer too close to the beet, t e beet will contact with the inclined portion of the spring plate and compress the same which compression w1ll carry the cutter 34, away from the beet and cause it to cut the tops thereof. After the beet has been cut from its top, it falls upon the agitating slats 37, positioned above the receptacle 38. These slats may be moved in any desired manner but are illustrated as being carried by the crank shaft 38, termi- 40, fixed to the axle 2. These agitating.

slats are for the purpose of freeing the beets from dirt. From the slats the beets are then fed within the rece tacle 38 and this recepcle 38, has a hinged bottom 41, for the purpose of emptying the receptacle after it has ecome filled with'beets.

The beams 6, may be held in their adjusted positions in any desired manner, but it has been found best to secure to the frame 1, the segmental uprights 42, which engage the beams 6 and hold the same in their various adjustments. This en agement may be of any desired character, ut it has been found best to perforate these segmental u rights 42, and pass the his 43, through t e same engaging the per orations within the prising two parallel bars having grooves in their opposed faces out of alinement, beet engaging traveling members in the grooves, and means for delivering the beets to the traveling members.

2. In a beet harvester, a conveyer comprising two parallel bars having grooves-in their inner faces, the groove of one bar being out of alinement with the grooves ofthe other bar, beet engaging members traveling in the grooves, means for delivering beets to the engaging members, and means for causing the beet engaging members to travel in operative relation.

3. In a beet harvester,.a conveyer having two parallel bars, one of said bars having two grooves in its inner face, the other bar having a single groove in its face in a lane between the two grooves heretofore re erred grooves of the bars, means for delivering eets to the travelingmembers, and means for cuttin the tops of the beets.

5. In a eet harvester a conveyer having '5 two parallel bars, one of said bars having two grooves in its inner face, the other bar having asingle groove in its face in a lane between the two grooves heretofore re erred to, carrying members traveling in the grooves 1-0 of the bars, means for delivering beetsto the between the two grooves heretofore referred to, carrying, members traveling in the grooves of the. bars, means for deliverin eets to the traveling members, a cutter an 20 adjustable means operated by a contact of the beets for regulating the position of the cutter.

, In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses this '25 26 day of December, 1907.

Witnesses:

- W. H. OowGILL, CARL STRIOKLER. 

